The Gathering Storm
by PinoyTESDAnt
Summary: Six months after the battle of Republic City, a mysterious corpse washes up on the city's shores. As Mako is slowly drawn in on the case, Asami and Korra are about to start a life together. Unbeknownst to them, a war from a distant world is about to spill over into the world of the Avatar.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** All characters used in this story are owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon. All rights reserved to them.

 **Warning:** Some scenes or words depicted in this story are for mature readers only, and might offend some people who are not generally attuned to such topics. Please read at your own risk. This is an explicit work and it will contain adult oriented material.

 **Synopsis:** Six months after the battle of Republic City, a mysterious corpse washes up on the city's shores. As Mako is slowly drawn in on the case, Asami and Korra are about to start a life together. Unbeknownst to them, a war from a distant world is about to spill over into the world of the Avatar.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1 - New Beginnings**_

It was an unusually cold crisp morning in Republic City, as deep grey clouds hovered thickly over the grand metropolis. The great sea that stretches far out into the horizon mixes in against the backdrop of relative calm. It had been raining the night before, and with it came a coldness that seeped into the very skin. Detective Mako looked over at his watch furtively, waiting. It was half an hour past noon. He should be somewhere else by now. Specifically at Kwong's Cuisine, where he was supposed to have a lunch date with his friend Asami. Looking up at the sky, the clouds moved slowly, and in between gaps showed rays from the warm sun. It had been a while since the two of them had a talk. A real one. And it was just like Asami to make the first move. Mako knew in himself that he wasn't the type that made first moves when dealing with awkward situations. He just wasn't built for it. And from the way Asami's voice crackled over the phone, it sounded just like that.

"I need to tell you something," her voice slightly cracked over the line. "It's about me and Korra. I think you should just know, okay."

"Can't you just tell me right now?" Mako asked. "No, it has to be face to face," she persisted. There was an urgency in her voice but also a hesitancy, as if she were still mulling over the words that she was supposed to say.

In any case, it seemed as if Asami had to wait for just a little bit.

A call to his apartment that morning came at an awkward moment. It was Beifong. He had just agreed to Asami's invite the day before. It figures, since today was supposed to be his day off. Ever the insistent chief, Lin just had to make Mako take this assignment, since nobody else was around. After all, the city had just seen the devastation of urban warfare very recently, and everybody had to pull his own weight in it. Unfortunately, that didn't mean that the Police Force had to loosen its grip on the vestiges of law and order, and as Mako knew very well, crime never sleeps. He _had_ to cancel on Asami.

Or maybe not? Disregarding common sense, Mako decided against cancelling and just trying to speed things up once he gets to the scene. But lo and behold, there he was all of a sudden, on probably one of the strangest cases he'd ever seen.

Parked next to his bike were two police motorcars, from which five other officers were barricading the area near the docks. Lying face down on the beach was a corpse of a man. It was slightly bloated, probably from floating around for hours by the sea. In and of itself it was nothing short of the usual. But this was not a usual type of corpse. The body had white skin, almost like porcelain, and its hair yellowish like barley. The head was turned to its right side, eyes were well rounded, like almonds, staring deathly pale to whatever distance. It wore a strange set of clothes, grayish looking, with multiple symbols, like some form of insignias, and a long black boot in one foot, while the other free of any footwear.

For the life of Mako, he had never seen anyone—or anything—like it.

Another car pulled up by the path after ten minutes of waiting. It was the police surgeon.

"Afternoon, Doctor Kwan," saluted Mako as he walked up to the man. "Detective," nodded the surgeon as they shook hands, simultaneously taking a draw on his cigarette. "So what have we got here?"

"We got a dead body for 'ya doc. It ain't pretty. Two locals fished it out of the pond at around 8 this morning. And let me tell 'ya, they freaked when they saw it!"

"Well, what about it?" asked Kwan. "Anything particularly gruesome about it?" he said with crooked grin. "Head missing? Gut disemboweled?"

"Well, nothing like that, no," said Mako uneasily clearing his throat. "But I think you'll be more interested by… well, it has something more to do with his skin… and hair… and eyes. They don't seem… _normal_ ," he punctuated the word with a heavy sense of foreboding.

Mako led Doctor Kwan to the scene. A cold wind from the east suddenly blew by, blowing away the cigarette from the surgeon's fingertips. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, feeling around his jacket as if trying to find another one.

Mako ignored this and continued on to the beach, where the body had lain with a large piece of cloth covering it over. Two officers stood over it while another person, the police photographer prepared to replace his bulb.

Mako removed the cloth to reveal the body. Kwan looked it over, seemingly unperturbed before slowly remarking, "Holy shit".

"Well, this is indeed interesting!" he said crouching down for a closer look.

"The men who found the body are already calling it the 'Grey Phantom'. Lu and Gang are taking their statements now as we speak. What do you think it is?"

"Well from what I can tell, it's a dead body," said the doctor dryly.

"No, I mean, where'd you reckon he came from?" asked Mako trying to hide his annoyance.

"Hm, no clue," said the doctor. "I know of no country in the world that has such a people. Help me turn him over."

Mako tried to hold back his stomach in disgust at having to touch a bloated corpse and helped the coroner to turn it over. He got a good look at the man's face. He looked rather young, from what Mako could tell, but he wasn't sure. The long sleeved tunic had markings on the shoulder area, as well as on the collar, where there were strange looking symbols embroidered on them.

"Look at these markings," said Kwan, more to himself than anyone else. "I've never seen these symbols before". He pushed down at the skin, which was rubbery. "Death stiffness… been dead for probably around twelve hours or less." Mako wrote down the man's words onto his note book. A brilliant flash came from his side, signaling the photographer's rounds taking pictures of the corpse.

"So what do you think killed him? Think it's a homicide?" asked Mako, his face strained with deep curiosity and apprehension. It doesn't seem like this was going to be a quick assignment. The doctor gave a sigh and started examining the body again. "It's a possibility. We'll need to take it in. The damn ambulance won't be here for a little while longer. You'll have to ask me that again after the official autopsy."

Mako flipped over his notebook and placed it in his pack. "Oh, we also found this," he said pulling out another small booklet. On the cover was another strange looking symbol, almost an emblem of some institution or other. Kwan gave it a look over then said, "What is that? Some kind of bird?"

"It looks almost 'Fire Nation-ny'," interjected the photographer, who received a gruff look from Mako before proceeding with his duties. He turned to look at Kwan. "It does look like a phoenix, or a messenger hawk," he said. "But I don't know what that symbol is at the bottom." He reached over to Kwan who gave it a closer look. Kwan took the booklet and flipped it open to see what was in it. For the most part it was blank. Some pages had strange looking scripts on it and what looked like stamps. Finally, he found a page of interest.

"It has a photograph," he pointed out to Mako. "I'm assuming it's him". Mako wanted to slap himself in the face for overlooking it. Rookie mistake. He had flipped over the book before but hadn't noticed that particular page. It did have a photograph of a stern looking young man; the same one who was lying down on the dirt.

"I think it's some sort of ID pass or something," said Mako finally. "But I can't read anything on it."

"That symbol on the bottom of the front page," said Kwan, "That's a swastika."

Mako gave him a sideways glance then looked at the cover again, "And what _is_ a swastika?"

"It's a holy symbol. The air nomads used to say it was a symbol of "eternity", said Kwan all of a sudden.

"Where'd you get that?" asked Mako.

"Yeah, my brother knows a lot of garbage," said Kwan, scratching his head. "He teaches history at the University down town. The man just talks and talks and talks, it's almost infuriating at times. But hey, he's family. And inevitably, stuff just sticks to your head and you remember them."

"Don't I know it," Mako rolled his eyes as he is reminded of Bolin and the way his brother can spout stats about his favorite pro-benders.

"Well, anyway, that's still a good place to start looking for answers. I might have to go for some help at Air Temple Island. If this is an Air Nomad symbol, the acolytes might know a thing or two about it." Mako placed the book back into his pack.

"That's a thought," said Kwan. "We'll have the body moved to headquarters where we can start the autopsy." He rummaged around his coat again and finally found his pack of cigarettes. Placing it between his lips, he said, "It looks like it's gonna rain again."

Mako looked up at the greying sky once more. _Asami_ , he thought.

"Ain't you supposed to be someplace else?" said Kwan, his lips turning into a crooked smile as he took a drag from his newly lit cigarette. "I thought I heard you weren't supposed to be here today?"

* * *

Earlier that morning, Asami Sato found herself lost in thought as she laid on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling, her fingers absentmindedly twirling her hair in small circles. Her mind wandered between words that seem to resist forming into proper thought, as she found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. She had just invited Mako over for lunch today, and yet still she couldn't find the words she needed to fill the already growing void between them. She needed to tell him what's been happening to her life. It was only fair that he knew. But as she thought about it, she couldn't help but fear what his reaction would be. Years of friendship didn't make things easier to discuss with Mako, especially when it came to things that would untangle the past. Mako seemed to have a natural resistance to it, and she feared he might do the same. She gave a deep sigh, turning her head to her side before remembering why she even called him in the first place. She could feel herself suddenly smiling, her heartbeat slightly quickening its pace. Lying next to her was all the reason she had to be happy.

The young tycoon and the young Avatar had found in each other a source of happiness, out of the depths of despair. They have travailed the path of greatest danger in order to save the world together, holding each other's hands in friendship, ultimately finding much more after having felt the hammer blows of destiny strike them time and again. Asami had lost her father and mother from differing circumstances, and that left in her the greatest wound she could ever bear. She wished she could've changed things in her life a bit to have them back. But as she laid there next to Korra, she found that she didn't need to. The Universe has given her enough reason to want nothing more.

Korra was sleeping, her light snores tickling Asami's ear as she listened closely to them. She traced her fingers across her back, lightly touching her shoulder blade. The Avatar's body bore the bruises and cuts of long ago battles that still haunt them both. Asami could barely stand the thought whenever she would remember Zaheer's attempt to murder the Avatar as part of some insane quest to create "Order through Disorder". She banished the thought and continued smoothing her fingers over the Avatar's skin, relishing each moment as if she were holding some kind of jewel—which Korra indeed was.

She looked up at the time. It was already half past 10 in the morning. Remembering the night before, Asami knew that it would still be a little while before Korra would wake up. She had found that the other girl had another "gift" beyond that of being the bridge between the Two Worlds. She kissed the Avatar lightly on the cheek and chuckled to herself as she thought "the gift of explosive orgasms" before turning over to rise.

The hot shower offered the relief her body had been yearning for hours for. As the water fell onto her skin, she could feel the sweat from last night's nocturnal activities wash away. She wished she could share that moment with Korra again, as she did every other moment in her new life. But today was going to mark something new. Once she tells Mako about what's been happening in her life, she could finally be free to do as she liked, regardless of what others might think. She just needed Mako to know that their friendship still mattered to her.

Today's going to be the beginning of the rest of her life.

 _ **—end of chapter 01**_

* * *

 **AN:** This is my first attempt at a multi-chapter fanfiction. I'm still working things through my head as to which direction this story is headed. I would like to apologize to any reader who might find the contents of this piece to be offensive at any given point. This may not be a story meant to be read by you. In any event, if you happen to have enjoyed this, please do remember to review and tell me what you think about it. Also, I'm not above taking any tips from more experienced writers here, so don't be shy. Thanks in advance for giving this one a chance.


	2. Chapter 2 - Changes

**Disclaimer:** All characters used in this story are owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon. All rights reserved to them.

 **Warning:** Some scenes or words depicted in this story are for mature readers only, and might offend some people who are not generally attuned to such topics. Please read at your own risk. This is an explicit work and it will contain adult oriented material.

 **Synopsis:** Six months after the battle of Republic City, a mysterious corpse washes up on the city's shores. As Mako is slowly drawn in on the case, Asami and Korra are about to start a life together. Unbeknownst to them, a war from a distant world is about to spill over into the world of the Avatar.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 02 - Changes**_

Everything seemed to change so quickly.

Six months after the Battle of Republic City, the former United Earth Empire was once again in tatters. What had been the result of three years of untiring work of rebuilding a broken country to the pinnacle of imperial power was now being slowly dismantled by forces outside its borders. Traitors and criminals like the former Prince Wu had agreed with the rest of the World Leaders to found a Democratic People's Republic; which, far from what was implied in its name, is nothing but a puppet state held by the leash by foreign powers.

For Go Chian, a former lieutenant in Kuvira's army, nothing seemed to make sense anymore. Justice has fled the Earth Kingdom, and in its place, an enforced tyranny in the guise of "democracy" was taking shape. " _If only the Avatar had left us well enough alone!"_ he thought. _"_ _The world would be so different."_

Go Chian was not alone in his assessment. Many embattled veterans have had to flee Republic city and scatter all over the Earth Kingdom to hide in shame. They were being painted as criminals when all they wished was a return of all Earth Kingdom territory into the fold. After the Hundred-Years War, many had thought that the Fire Nation would be made to pay for its crimes, and that the indigenous peoples of the occupied territories would once again live peacefully amongst their brethren. Instead, a new Republic was born, were people of mixed races were defiling the very essence of _balance_ which the Avatar had sworn to protect.

Now that very same United Republic, born out of an abominable colonial concept of mixing races, dares to impose its laws upon the very Kingdom which it had bled dry for almost two hundred years.

 _Indeed, nothing makes sense anymore._

Ba Sing Se was a great city. For over a millennia, its formidable walls have held strong against the encroachments of barbarian hordes. With the exception of the betrayal of the Dai Li under the auspices of the Fire Nation, the city had remained relatively untouched, it's history still standing in the form of its great monuments to heroes and spirits that protect it. The Lower Ring, under Kuvira's leadership had prospered. Although it still lacked the same prosperity afforded to the Upper and Middle Rings, its people had grown to find more independence from the Old system, and adopt the new one given by Kuvira. Through innovation came the Great Boom, wherein both Earth and Metal Benders helped each other in the development of new technologies and businesses that would allow for a Freer Society. Laws providing for the protection of the workers paved the way for a Community of the People, where each individual learned to earn his rights and privileges under the law through equal work. Kuvira, the Great Uniter, had given them hope for a better Future, and an identity as a Nation driving through to that very Future. And yet with the defeat of the Empire made manifest during the Battle of Republic City, that sense of progress has been shaken, and the dissatisfaction it has fomented in the Capital is considerable.

Go Chian had been invited to a meeting. The letter he received looked rather strange. It had an emblem on it, stamped in red wax that looked like an old symbol: a swastika, held by a large bird. It indicated that he go to the Lower Ring that afternoon, to a small pub, where there would be "friends" there waiting for him. Like him, they too were dissatisfied by the ongoing developments both here and abroad. Like him, they had fought against the corruption of the Old Regime, as well as the greed of those outside the country and their lust for Earth Kingdom territory. They were all comrades in the same spirit.

Go Chian found himself in a dank alleyway close to the Main Gates. Soldiers wearing the old garb of the Earth Kingdom patrolled the streets. They were there under orders by the provisional government, appointed by the United Republic, to oversee the transition of the Empire into the New Republic. He could not fathom why these people could stand such a blatant breach of National Rights, but as they had the power to enforce law and order, he had to be careful not to alert their suspicions.

Walking along the alleyway, he made a right turn into corner, where he found himself in the company of vagrants and other homeless people. They all looked at him passively, their eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. He tried to ignore the unease at the thought that these people had been living there for what seemed to be all their lives. It broke his heart to think this, and yet he felt that if such people had neglected their duties by not pulling their own weight, they deserved nothing more.

The sounds of footsteps echoed through the alleyway. They were slow and ominous, as if they were looking for something. Chian pushed his back against the wall of the corner he had landed himself in, putting a finger between his lips to indicate to the vagrants to not make a sound. The footsteps were drawing closer and closer. Chian was a metal bender, and he knew how to handle himself in a fight. But he didn't want to rouse anyone of his presence in the city. He had after all been hiding since Republic City. As the footsteps seemed to draw closer it suddenly stopped. Chian listened closely, peeking his head slightly at the corner. There was man standing in the middle of the alleyway. He was rather short and stout, his arms lazily hanging down his sides. He held a piece of paper in hand and read it to himself. "Meet at the Dried Newt Pub down at Main Gate sector," he said. The voice was familiar. Could it be?

"Gong!" said Chian suddenly. "Is that you?"

"Lieutenant Chian?" came the roughened voice. Chian revealed himself to the man, and he was greeted by a round jovial smile from one of his old comrades. They fell into a brotherly embrace and laughed heartily. "I thought I'd never see your stupid face again, you old pirate!"

"Same to you sir, I thought I'd never see you or anyone else from the old crew!" Gong took a step back and saluted his old commanding officer, who returned his salute eagerly.

"How have you been, soldier?" he asked.

"Well, been better," said the man. "I've been hiding out in the Capital for two months now. Before that I was with my mother-in-law's cousin up North. It's been a bit dodgy here and there, but I've been doing fine. You, sir?"

"Something like that," said the lieutenant. "So, you got an invitation too?"

"I did," Gong took out the paper and showed it to his commander. "Looks rather important, don't it?"

"I know," said Chiang. "I'm not one to take things like these seriously. But times are changing. We're in the brink of collapse!"

"Tell me about it," nodded Gong. "Poor old Kuvira, huh? Made to rot in prison, I hear. They say the Avatar's going to take away her bending and—"

"Fuck Kuvira," snapped Chiang. "That bitch betrayed us all. She's the one who surrendered the entire army to those… those…" Chiang found it hard to finish his sentence.

"Well, she gave them a hell of a fight, though, didn't she sir?" said Gong. "The Avatar and all those air benders got their taste, at least."

"It doesn't matter anymore. We still lost, all because that coward couldn't keep her fucking word!"

Sensing the tension, Gong steered the topic. "So, uhm. You know where this 'Dried Newt Pub' place is?"

"I'm not sure," said Chian. "We can start looking around for it here. We're close to the Main Gate, we're bound to find it here."

The deep grey clouds above them darkened the afternoon skies, as the pair walked across the main alleyway where old stores lit the place up, peddling food and wares to passers by. There were old guard soldiers again, mindless in their patrolling of the streets, as if bored to death by their duties. It suited Chian well that these fools didn't take their jobs seriously, allowing veterans such as himself to roam freely in broad daylight.

As they passed by several stores, they finally found the "Dried Newt Pub". It looked over a hundred years old, it's main façade made of rotting old wood. It had a sign, on which was drawn a man-frog about to eat a dried newt. Chian took a mental note of just about how many building codes this establishment had probably broken ten times over. He just hoped he could go through this meeting unscathed without the whole building collapsing on top of him.

Inside, the place was barely lit. Tables were laid out in a mish mash of patterns, with little regard for proper Feng Shui. There were only five other people there, drunk and bored out of their wits. The proprietor/bartender stood behind the bar, carelessly cleaning his cups and wares. Chian and Gong strode towards him and asked for drinks. The old man gave them a severe look before taking out two glasses and pouring them their shots. Chian took a swig, and felt the sting of hot liquid line his throat, his nostrils reddening as he swallowed. He wasn't really much of a drinker. Coughing out his lungs, he was just putting down his glass when he saw Gong already taking his second shot.

Chian cleared his throat up and said, "So, uh... I heard there was supposed to be a meeting here?" The bartender grunted without looking at him. "What meeting?"

"Uhm, the meeting. I got this letter, see—"

"If you're lookin' for a meet, then you're in the wrong place, fella!" said the old man loudly. "All's we got here are these fuckin' fools waiting to pop a vein before shriveling up to die."

"I wouldn't say that," said Gong casually. "Looks like a nice enough crowd." Gong gave a nod to one drunken man who nodded to him back before swigging from a bottle and falling over on his back.

"If you're lookin' to meet, you better go out back." said the old man. "You're not gonna be meetin' anyone here 'cept old Lao and all these fuckin' deadbeats."

"Out back?" asked Chian, confused.

"Didn't ya here me the first time?" snapped Lao. "Guess you are in the right place after all, ya fuckin' deadbeat." he gave a wheezing laugh before pointing his calloused finger over to a back door.

Chian gave the man a look that he himself couldn't fathom. He was halfway between wanting to strangle the man and thanking him. Pulling at Gong's collar, who was about to take his fourth swig, Chiang marched towards the door and made an exit for it.

Expecting to find a back room, Chiang was irritated to find himself in a back yard, where tattered old laundry hung over him, swaying at the wind.

"Where the hell is this fucking meeting supposed to be?" he shouted more to himself than to Gong, who gave a shrug. Frustrated, Chiang took the letter he had, as well as Gong's copy and read the instructions once more, before tearing the pieces of paper into tiny bits, throwing them to the ground and stomping his muddied boot on them. He didn't like being made to look like a fool.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them opened wide like a great mouth, swallowing them both. Chiang and Gong's screams echoed down into a long winding cavern, before being buried beneath dirt that seemed undisturbed.

* * *

Kwong's Cuisine was unusually busy that day. Built next to a busy intersection uptown, the whole establishment was left relatively untouched by the battle that beset the City six months prior. For a while, people generally avoided going there, mostly out of sheer misfortune and necessity, while others out of some clouded sense of decency to avoid scrutiny from sensitive eyes. It would have been in poor taste to go there, of course, upper-class and swanky as it was, so soon after the destruction of most of the city when people were just beginning to rebuild their lives there. But now it was beginning to pick up some pace. The Kwong family had offered to cater for free for the City's Finest and Bravest as well as provide a soup kitchen for the poor and destitute during this great time of need. After a while, they found enough strength and confidence to start their business again properly. Asami had been excited to go there again, as one of the restaurant's favorite patrons, and she had wished to take Korra there on a proper date. But she knew the Avatar too well. Korra wouldn't have been able to stand going there knowing Asami would have to shoulder the costs. Plus, Korra wasn't much into the whole "dress-code" thing that went along with having to dine there. It was one of the things that Asami knew they would have to discuss further down the road. But for now, she had prepared herself for Mako.

Thinking over the past few months, Asami wondered how she would be able to tell Mako everything. It seemed like trekking the highest peak in the country whenever it came to having to confront Mako with facts. When she and Korra went to the Spirit World unannounced right after Varrick's wedding, Mako was one of the worst people affected by it. He couldn't understand why they just couldn't tell him where they had been planning to go, and he took it hard. It was weeks before they could talk to him properly again, and even then the unease never really vanished. Even so, Asami never tried to second guess that trip to the Spirit World. It was more than well deserved, especially for Korra, who had had to struggle the most out of all of them. It was all she can do not to lose herself in those memories each time she was away from Korra.

 _The grass seemed so much greener in the Spirit World than anywhere else; the leaves and flowers more lush. They tingled against her skin at her every touch, and she would find herself giggling at times when the flowers would fly away and turn into some beautiful creature before landing elsewhere and becoming a flower again. The spirits, in all their strangeness, seemed friendly, cozying up to her as she sat on the ground, which felt as if it moved along with her. Holding a turnip shaped spirit in her hand, Asami relished the beauty around her, amazed at the possibilities that the Spirit World had to offer._

 _"They really like you," said Korra suddenly from behind her, a few fuzzy spirits hanging around her hair and shoulders. "They know a good spirit when they see one."_

 _Asami smiled, patting the turnip spirit on it's head, eliciting a soft purr. "Well, I am with the Avatar. I think they just know I'm with you."_

 _"No, it's you alright," said Korra with a grin, extending her hand towards the other girl, taking strands of her hair away from her face. "You make them feel happy the way they should be."_

 _"How do you know?" said Asami. "They seem to like you quite a lot yourself." She pointed at the flying sea-horse spirit swirling next to Korra's ear. It gave her a look then flew slowly towards her, nuzzling its nose to her cheek._

 _"See?" said Korra. "It's all you."_

 _"But why, though?" asked Asami finally._

 _"Well," began Korra, propping herself closer to Asami, "an old friend once told me that our emotions can become reality in the Spirit world. When we feel fear and look only to the dark, all we'll ever find is darkness. But whenever we look for the light, we'll never fail to find it."_

 _Asami smiled. "Wow. That was probably the corniest line I've ever heard."_

 _"It's true!" chuckled Korra. "Everything around us depends on how we see them. And right now, how you see them is how the world becomes. They can feel that you're happy, and they follow that happiness as a light." There was a long silence, disrupted only by the purring of the turnip spirit which was nuzzling against Asami's thigh. "But most of all, you make me happy."_

 _Asami was startled at this, and gave Korra a wide eyed look. She could suddenly feel every heartbeat that pumped in her chest as she lost herself in those deep blue eyes. She felt Korra's finger tips behind her ear as the other girl softly ran her fingers through her hair. Cupping the Asami's face in her hand, Korra began to lean in. As their faces grew closer, the heat between them grew more intense. Asami hesitated a bit, but did not resist. Suddenly she felt warm lips against hers, and quickly gave herself into them._

 _It was nothing short of wonderful. Asami felt the warmth build up through her body, a tingling sensation climbing up her back and onto her neck as she explored Korra's lips. Korra's hands slowly settled down the small of her back, nudging her closer to her until their hips met. There was a lightness that built itself up in her head, and Asami was close to collapsing into Korra's arms._

 _After a while Korra pulled away, breathless, her gaze meeting that of Asami's. Asami looked again into those deep azure eyes, and found that they reminded her of the ocean. They engulfed her whole being as they took her in, and she was more than happy to be taken. Resting her forehead onto Korra's, she gave a giggle and kissed Korra's nose. "You're such a dork, Korra."_

 _"It that a good thing?" asked Korra with a grin._

 _"It's the best," said Asami, letting her whole weight fall on Korra and they both fall to the ground laughing._

Asami smiled at the memory. It seemed so long ago, and yet how closely does she still remember it! It was becoming a habit every time she had to be away on business that she would day dream, and all she could day dream about was Korra. She had found her muse.

"Hey," said a voice behind her. Startled, Asami turned to look to see a fully uniformed Mako, looking awkward as ever. "Sorry I'm late," he said. "Stuff happened at the docks and—" he stopped mid-sentence as if thinking about whether or not it was proper to be telling his friend about an ongoing investigation. "Never mind."

"Hey," said Asami, finding herself slow in reacting. "Uhm, come have a seat," she offered.

Sitting down, Mako looked at his watch again. It was already half-past 1 in the afternoon. "Wow," he said. "I'm really, really late."

"No it's okay," said Asami, waving her hand. "I only just got here too. I haven't ordered yet, so feel free to order what you want."

"You know, you don't have to pay for my meals any more," said Mako, his lips curved into a cheeky smile. "I can pay for my own now. I have a job."

"I know," said Asami. "But I want this to be my treat. Just like old times."

"Well, suit yourself," said Mako airily, resting his head on his hands.

Promptly, they ordered their food, and after another half hour of waiting, came their lunches. Mako ordered siu mai, stir fried noodles and Chao fan rice, with a side of moon cakes, while Asami had dumpling soup and tea. The meal started off well, with Asami asking questions about Mako's job, as well as his living quarters. Mako lives down town in a modest apartment now. He claims it to be pretty decent, and thus far the best place he'd had since leaving the Sato mansion. It sure beats having to sleep under his desk at the office. He in turn asked Asami about her work life, with Asami telling him about how Varrick is once again part owner and partner in the management of Future Industries. He's now heading a development team in pursuing renewable energy, as he once tried to do for Kuvira. He was still as flamboyant as ever, still had Zhu Li everywhere he went, and still as much of a genius as he'd ever been, only this time, Zhu Li gave his life a little bit more weight and grounded him more to the rest of the world. It was finally a working relationship that Asami was more than happy to build upon.

"So," said Mako chewing on a moon cake. "Why'd you actually ask me to come here for? You sounded kinda weird over the phone. And I'm pretty sure it's not just for my pretty face and enjoyable company," he winked.

Asami gave a soft laugh, "I've missed you, Mako. It's been too long."

"Yeah, tell me about it," said Mako w iping his mouth. "I've kinda been busy for a while now, what with the city looking like shit."

"I know," said Asami. "It's been a while since I've had an actual break from all the work we've been doing with Future Industries. We're trying to provide clean renewable energy for over two million people living here, as well as any heavy machinery needed to rebuild parts of the city."

"That's great! So, I guess you got your hands full as well."

"Yeah," Asami looked down into her cup, stirring it around with her teaspoon as she struggled to put the right words in her mind. She needed to tell him now.

"Have you ever spoken to Korra recently?" Asami asked.

"Well, over the phone I guess," said Mako scratching his head. "Two weeks ago already."

"Did she say anything about me?"

"Well, come to think of it, yeah, she did. A lot!"

"What did she say?" asked Asami apprehensively.

"Well, that she was having a great time with you, and that you two were really bonding and all that. But as far as I can tell, you guys have been doing a lot of that since, I don't know, maybe last year? I mean, you're the only one she ever wrote to when she was gone."

"Oh," said Asami pausing for thought. She still felt sort of guilty for never having told Mako about Korra writing only to her. But then again, that would have meant betraying Korra's confidence. In any case, Mako had by now come to grips with it. But somehow deep inside her she was hoping that Mako had already known or suspected what's been happening between her and Korra since then. For one thing, she wouldn't have had to explain all that much if he did. But on the other hand, Mako probably wouldn't have even bothered to come there in the first place if he already knew.

"What about Korra?" asked Mako slowly, one eyebrow curved. "Is something wrong?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with Korra," said Asami. She gave a heavy sigh before she spoke again. "Mako, you know I love you, right?"

"Uhm... lo-uh... lo-uhv?" he swallowed.

"As a friend, I mean," Asami cleared.

"Oh, yeah... right. Friend. That's what I meant." Mako gave a nervous laugh, his face reddening as he did so. Sensing the seriousness of what Asami was about to say, Mako cleared his throat and said, "Continue."

"You know how much your friendship means to me. And I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or anger you or worry you at all."

There was a long silence in which Asami almost felt like she could cut the tension with a butter knife. She knew that he was being reminded of her and Korra's disappearance into the Spirit World again, and that he was trying to suppress any word of dissension from what she had just said.

"I'm sorry about leaving you without a clue as to where we went that day. I swear I never meant to make you feel like you didn't matter. But I want you to know that neither Korra nor I would ever try to put you in an awkward position intentionally. You've been so good to us and everything, and I can't thank you enough for everything you've done. You were the one that destroyed Kuvira's mech, after all. People don't seem to recognize that enough."

"We all did our part, Asami. You know that," said Mako, putting a hand over Asami's own and giving it a comfortable squeeze. "Anyway, what are you getting at?" he asked. "Is there something wrong here?"

There was another pause before Asami spoke again. Looking down at the ground, she finally said. "Korra and I are together."

Confused, Mako said, "Uhm, wait... we've already established that you and Korra are living together, so what's your point?"

"You don't understand," said Asami, her voice shaking. "Korra and I are together-together."

A blank look from Mako indicated that he still didn't get it. "We're lovers."

"What do you mean, 'We're lovers'?," Mako was silent for a long while, as he was figuring things out in his head. "You mean? You? And Korra?" Asami nodded. "You're together? Korra? And You? Together? You?"

"Yes, Korra and I. We're together," said Asami. "I love her. I love Korra."

Time seemed to suddenly stop all around them, the walls falling over, the air breaking like glass into a million pieces. Asami could almost feel the rumble of the ground beneath them as she saw Mako digest what she had just said. It seemed like forever as neither of them made any sudden moves.

"Mako are you alright?" asked Asami as she reached her hand out to him, only to be rebuffed when he moved further away.

"I... gotta go," he said, motioning his thumb to the door, his face unreadable. He stood up quickly, turning his head this way and that, confusedly trying to walk away. He stopped mid way towards the door and came back, pulling out his wallet. Taking out several yuans, Mako threw them unceremoniously at the table saying, "For the food." Shaking his head, Mako quickly walked away.

"No, Mako! Please, wait!" cried Asami after him, but he didn't even turn his head. Asami could feel the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was a mistake telling him all this. It was way too soon. She sat down, burying her face into her hands and quietly wept.

* * *

 _The young Avatar stood on a precipice, surrounded by darkness. There were spirits all around her, crying out to her, begging for help. Reaching down towards them, she tried to save those that were climbing up to her, shouting out to them that they need to hold on. She could almost feel one of them reach her fingers before she heard the sound of wind whipping about her. The wind grew into a tempest, as she looked towards the West. In the dark she could see a menacing shape, flying all around her, it's sharp eyes following her ever move. As it flew around her, it landed on top of a mountain beyond. For a long moment it didn't seem to move, standing over all the world with unbridled pride. Then it met her gaze, its eyes blazing with hate and anger. It screamed at her, expanding its wings to bare its massive breast and bloodied talons. As Korra looked into those great eyes, she felt rather than heard the creature speak in a tongue she had never heard before._

 _Deine Welt wird Ende!_

 _And with that, the ground shook all beneath her, and another screeching cry from the bird echoed throughout the land. A massive trench opened under Korra's feet, swallowing her whole, and as she cried for help, all she could see was darkness._

"NO!" cried Korra, arm outstretched into the sky as she quickly rose. Breathing heavily she looked around and quickly realized where she was; Asami's room. Sweat streamed down all over her naked body underneath the sheets. Burying her face into her hands, Korra tried to catch her breath and calm down. It was a dream. No, a nightmare. She had been having the same nightmare for over three nights now. She had been lucky so far that Asami hadn't been around to see her like this. She didn't want her to worry so much or over think things whenever they were together. Reaching out to the bedside table, she ruffled around for the alarm clock, which failed to ring an alarm that morning. _Asami must have turned it off before she left the room_ , thought Korra. It was already 2 in the afternoon. Korra chuckled. She must've really been knocked out last night to have slept in so late. She made a mental note to apologize to Asami, and also, to pay her back later that night for what happened previously.

Putting on one of Asami's night robes, Korra walked out of the room to look for Asami. She wasn't in the house, as it turned out, so the young Avatar decided she would need a bath. Asami wouldn't mind. After all, it was her fault that Korra had been knocked unconscious almost through the next Thursday, what with her "techniques" and shit. Still, she wondered where Asami would've gone to. She would've liked to share that bath with the tycoon if she could.

In any case, her thoughts lingered on with that dream she had. What could it mean? Where was that place? And what kind of bird was that? If it could speak, then it must have been in the Spirit World. Speaking of which, what language was it even speaking in?

Korra groaned with frustration. It felt as if things would never be easy for the Avatar. If only she could retire now and let the world fix its own problems. She perished the thought. Aang would never think like that, would he? No he wouldn't, said a voice in her head which sounded way too much like Tenzin.

Hot water flowed from the tap as she readied the tub. Slowly, she put one foot down into the water to feel it's sting, and found that it was just right. Before she knew it, she had her body fully submerged into the water, her head popping up just above the water line.

Despite her dream, she determined that she wouldn't let it ruin her day. And for the first time in weeks, she was going to enjoy this house alone.

 _ **—end of chapter 02**_

* * *

 **A/N:** Someone in the reviews kindly pointed out that I needed to indicate the pairings in this story. Rest assured that that has now been fixed, thanks to that one person's kind advice. Right now, I still don't know where this shit's going, and I'm just as curious as the people who have kindly given me their feedback. Please do feel free to tell me what you think about this story, they feed my muse completely. Thanks again for taking the time out of the day to read this piffle. I am forever grateful.

 **PS:** I would like to apologize for the very bad German applied here. Please don't kill me!


	3. Chapter 3 - Purpose

**Disclaimer:** All characters used in this story are owned by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and Nickelodeon. All rights reserved to them.

 **Warning:** Some scenes or words depicted in this story are for mature readers only, and might offend some people who are not generally attuned to such topics. Please read at your own risk. This is an explicit work and it will contain adult oriented material.

 **Synopsis:** Six months after the battle of Republic City, a mysterious corpse washes up on the city's shores. As Mako is slowly drawn in on the case, Asami and Korra are about to start a life together. Unbeknownst to them, a war from a distant world is about to spill over into the world of the Avatar.

* * *

 _ **Chapter 03 - Purpose**_

The ride back to the station seemed longer than it actually was. Lead more by instinct rather than by memory, Mako drove through the avenues and streets that sprawled across the city like a labyrinth, intent on getting as far away from where he'd been as he can. The bike's motor revved in tandem with his quickening pulse; his hands gripped tightly onto the controls. He didn't care much as to where he really felt he was headed, as long as he could place a large distance between himself and Asami. At the moment, he just felt it was the only way he could clear his mind.

It wasn't so much that he was angry or hurt. For sure, he was that and more. But more than anything, he was confused. Confused about how everything came out to be without him ever seeing it; confused as to how it could even be possible that both his former girlfriends were now seeing each other as a couple. It didn't compute. Since when did this happen? And where was he now in the great scheme of things? For the first time since he was living in the streets with Bolin, he had no idea where he stood. He was lost. And at the moment, he felt his anger justified. But at the bottom of everything though, Mako felt he may have been unfair to think this way. And perhaps leaving Asami alone all of a sudden didn't much make him out to look like the victim.

Is this really why Korra only wrote to Asami and never to him or his brother over a year ago?

Arriving roughly half an hour later at the station, Mako stormed into the building, literally breathing out puffs of smoke from his nostrils as he strode past other people. Fellow officers that met him were aghast as they saw—and felt—the sparks of fire that seemed to emanate from his closed fists. A firebender, he was not impervious to outbursts of rage, or any other emotion that tended to overwhelm him. Even so, he had been learning all his life to control them. In the past, the pro-bending circuit gave him an outlet, honing his abilities and skills as well as his emotions, sharpening his sense of focus on matters at hand. It enabled him and his brother to survive the most difficult of circumstances; that and a little creativity, of course. Still, he never felt himself to be truly in control.

Finding his desk, Mako saw Lin leaning onto it, arms crossed with an impatient glare. He had almost forgotten that he was technically still on duty when he went out with Asami. It had been hours now since they found the body. Suddenly all the steam Mako had inside him quickly dissipated, replaced by anxiety at the fact that the chief looked none too happy to see him at that moment.

"Where have you been?" asked Lin.

"Sorry chief," said Mako apologetically. "I forgot the time, I was just on my lunch break."

Lin raised an eyebrow then shrugged. "Come with me."

Mako followed Lin as they walked towards the office lift. "Got any leads on that body at the docks?"

"No, chief," said Mako scratching his head. "Sorry, I was—"

"Can it," said Lin. "Well, I'm not surprised. I've never seen anything like it." The doors to the lift opened for them, and Lin pressed for third floor. Reaching the third floor a few moments later, they turned an immediate corner that led to a foot bridge that separated the main building from the annex. "Kwan called me up a while ago," said Lin as they were walking. "It seems our 'Grey Phantom' has a bit more of a surprise than we thought."

"What do you mean?" asked Mako. "Well, I'm not sure myself," said Lin. "That's why I'm coming with you."

Walking along white narrow corridor, they found a large brown double door, above which was written "Morgue". Mako had never been there before, and in all honesty, he hadn't gotten used to the idea that he'll probably be coming there more often now. He hadn't been a detective all that long after all, and this was actually his first venture into a possible homicide. As they reached in, the smell of formaldehyde permeated the whole room. Looking around the stark white tiled room, Mako saw several tables, wherein he supposed bodies were placed for examination. On both adjacent walls, there were square metal doors that looked like a larger version of their lockers. They were the freezers that held the bodies. On the opposite end of the room was Kwan, washing his hands onto a metal sink. He turned to look at them and gave a faux surprised look. "Oh, you're here."

"Kwan," nodded Lin. "Chief." Kwan saluted back. "Detective," he nodded towards Mako.

"So what do you got?" asked Lin impatiently. Kwan turned around, his eyes darting towards his desk. "Please," he said directing them to take a seat before him as he began to pull at his desk drawers. Rummaging through his files, Kwan took out a folder that held something thick inside it and gave it to Lin. "Here's the report," he said. "And you'll be happy to know, that he is in fact 'human', and not some kind of other worldly being. Although I have to admit, he's still rather special."

"What do you mean," asked Mako.

"Well, at first glance there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary about the victim other than his skin color. But you'll be surprised at the cause of death."

"Why?" asked Lin as she shuffled between papers, glimpsing on photographs of the body and other details. In the middle was a small black booklet. "What's this?" Lin held the booklet in front of the others.

"I think it's a diary or journal of some sort," said Kwan. "I found it strapped inside his coat. And like the other booklet, I understood none of the writing."

"What other booklet?" Lin gave a raised eyebrow at Kwan, who motioned towards Mako. Mako gave an apologetic look before pulling out the booklet he had taken from the scene. "I totally forgot I had this."

Lin gave Mako a strained look before taking the booklet from him. "You're right. There's nothing to be read here."

"In any case, as I was saying," continued Kwan, "The cause of death is really rather strange. When I opened him up, I found that his lungs were crushed. Like they imploded from within. Not to mention his entire upper respiratory tract seems to have been severely strained. Like he was being asphyxiated."

"What?" cried Lin and Mako together, startled at this detail. "You mean, he didn't drown?" asked Mako.

"No," said Kwan. "I've never seen anything like it before. There aren't any ligature marks on the body to indicate that he was being choked from outside. But that alone doesn't mean anything. Still, that doesn't explain the way his lungs collapsed in such a horrifying manner."

"What do you mean?" asked Lin.

"Well, from what I can tell," said Kwan, "is that the air in the victim's lungs seemed to have been sucked out by some force or other that I've never seen done."

Mako paused for thought. The scene that played out in his head as he imagined the victim's last moments of life was eerily familiar. _"Zaheer",_ he whispered.

Lin turned to look at him. "What?"

"Zaheer," repeated Mako. "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" asked Lin impatiently.

"Zaheer is an airbender. He used his airbending to kill the Earth Queen. And I saw how he tried do the same to Korra."

Realization sank in as Lin remembered that same event, when everyone thought that Korra had her last lap as Zaheer tried to kill her by taking away her very breath. "But Zaheer's in prison," she said finally. "It can't be him."

"I know," said Mako. "Which means we have another airbender out there."

* * *

The sound of soft music crackling in air woke Go Chian with a start. He gasped for breath, coughing as he did so, finding himself still in the dark, unable to move and with his eyes blindfolded. As he finally managed to catch his breath, he cried out, "Hello? Is there anyone there?"

"Ah, gut, gut," said a strange wheezy voice. "You are awake, finally." Chian felt gloved fingers feeling around his face as his blindfold was being removed. He felt his eyes burn in the light. It must have been hours since he fell through that hole with Gong.

"There," said the voice once more. "All better. I had thought you would not wake up for at least until a few more hours."

As he tried to get his eye acclimated to the light, Chian tried to see who it was speaking. It was all a blur, but he could see a hunched figure shifting around the room where he figured himself being held captive. Turning his head to his side, he could make out that he was strapped to a table that had been turned over to stand like a post. There was a man in front of him dressed in a white cloak, whose back was turned washing over a sink. The crackling sound of music felt eerily soothing, even as he felt himself tremble from fatigue.

"Where... where am I?" he blurted out.

"You are in a military facility," said the strangely accented voice, "in Paderborn." It gave a soft chuckle before continuing. "I understand that you are not familiar with this name, _ja_?"

Go Chian didn't speak. He tried to focus his eyes to look in front of him. "Who are you?"

" _Ach! Gott in himmel_ , I completely forgot. How rude of me!" The man turned around to look at him then strode closer to his face. Chian was taken aback. The man's skin was marble white, with a faded hue of red. He had a long face and large silver grey eyes. He had a long hooked nose and thin lips lined with wrinkles and a long scar that marred his left right cheek. "Forgive me, I have only recently learned _Chinesisch, ja_?"

"Who are you?" repeated Chian. "Where's Gong?"

"You mean your friend? In a moment, in a moment," dismissed the man. "But I am Doctor Karl Rose, _SS Brigadefuhrer und_ _Chef der Forschung in die menschliche Elementarsteuer."_

There was long silence between the men. Chian understood none of what the man said. Reading the expression on his face, Doctor Rose continued. "Of course, I do not expect you to understand any of that. None of it means anything to you. After all, before today you have absolutely no idea of my existence, or even the existence of that language you've just heard. But I am very much aware of you, and your people."

As Rose walked away, Chian finally had a chance to look further around him. The room he was in had no windows. White tiles covered much of the walls, and at the bottom of the floor, he could make out what looked like drains, one of which was covered in blood. Panic set in and he felt himself tense as he tried to find where the blood was trailing from. Raising his head to his right side, he saw a line of three other people, strapped to their own slabs, hanging low and lifeless. By the color of their clothes he could see that two of them had Fire Nation garb, while the last one wore the coat of a Southern Water Tribeswoman. As he looked even closer, he could make out that all three of them had the back of their heads sawed off, part of their brains showing. Chian let out a silent scream, his body jerking away in horror.

"Now, now," said the man. "Calm down. There's no need to fuss. They have served their purpose, I assure you."

"Who are you? And what do you want?" cried Chian.

"You see," said Rose calmly, "I have been fascinated for many years as to how human beings such as yourself can control the elements around you." Walking around in front of Chian, Rose began to mumble to himself, as if pondering a memory that eluded him. "Of course, the obvious conclusion we can make is that your world is divorced from the laws that govern ours. Nevertheless..."

"What do you mean, 'your world'?" asked Chian, almost shouting. "This can't be real. Help!" he started "Help!".

"Please, remain calm. I do not wish to do to you what I've already done to your partner."

"What did you do?"

"We'll talk about that later. What I want from you is your cooperation, lest you wish to join those failed specimens." Chian gave another sideways glance to the corpses beside him and closed his eyes trying to erase from his memory what he had seen. Breathing heavily, Chian whimpered, "Please."

"Don't worry," said Rose quietly. "We'll take good care of you here. As for your friend..." Rose walked across the other end of the room, disappearing to a corner. Chian could hear the creaking of wheels and a moment later, saw a wheeled stretcher being pushed by another person, whilst Rose walked closely behind. On it lay a body covered in white cloth, with red blood protruding from one end. Rose uncovered the body to reveal Gong. Chian's eyes widened as he saw the lifeless body of his friend, a small hole placed cleanly on the man's forehead.

"He chose not to cooperate. And since he is not one of those so-called 'benders', he served me no purpose in the end. So I had him shot."

Tears fell freely from Chian's eyes as he realized the reality of everything happening around him. Gong was dead, and at any moment he too could be next. He could not move, hence he could not bend. He needed to buy himself time.

"I'll cooperate," Chian said finally.

" _Sehr gut!_ " exclaimed Rose, slapping his thigh in excitement. "Let's proceed."

Rose stepped closer to Chian so that they were almost nose to nose. Gloved hands felt around Chian's face, and he could hear the man mumble to himself again. Soon enough, Rose began to tie a blindfold once more onto his eyes, and then place a rubber gag onto his mouth. He could hear the sound of machinery suddenly purring behind him, and the slab on which he was bound to began to rumble along with it.

"I forgot to tell you," said Rose. "When I asked for your cooperation, I really meant it."

The slab began to lower itself onto a supine position. "Unfortunately for you," said Rose. "I've run out of anesthetics. We are at war after all, have I mentioned that?" Chiang could hear the sound of clanging metal instruments beside him. "We make do with what we have here. But do not worry. I promise you all this will be worth it."

Chiang felt the sharp tip of cold steel placed right on his temple. "Yes, this will hurt," whispered Rose. "but this will all end very soon... I hope."

Chiang bellowed out a long muffled scream as Rose slowly cut away at him, lingering in his pace until all was silent.

In Rose's eyes, Chiang was about to serve his purpose.

* * *

 **A/N:** Apologies for this very late and very terse chapter. I felt I needed to establish this part first before getting into the details. Thanks again for the reviews from those who have been kind enough to give some. Please, keep 'em coming!

Apologies as well for the very poor German on my part. I only have google translate to help me with that.


End file.
